“Not sure what he’s doing” - Gary Neville questions Liverpool star for what he did during 3-1 Brentford defeat
Gary Neville was unimpressed with Liverpool star Konstantinos Tsimikas for trying to switch play to the opposite flank just before half-time during Liverpool's 3-1 defeat against Brentford on 2 December.
The Reds fell behind after an own goal from Ibrahima Konate in the 19th minute. Tsimikas attempted to switch play to Trent Alexander-Arnold on the opposite flank in the 39th minute - something Andrew Robertson does regularly when he is playing.
However, Tsimikas failed terribly and allowed Brentford to intercept and get the ball into the box. It took a smart header from the Greece international to see away the danger, but Brentford scored from the resulting corner.
The goal was chalked off for offside, but the Bees doubled their lead soon after to go into the half-time break with a 2-0 lead. Addressing the former Olympiacos full-back's error, Neville said on Sky Sports (h/t TheBootRoom):
Defeat on the road.
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"Correcting his earlier mistake because he played a hospital pass over to Trent Alexander-Arnold, not sure what he’s doing. Brentford are complaining about the handball and he just tries to switch the play."
"Rico Henry is in. And then they’re in a bit of trouble, they’ve got two men at the back post and he does well."
Tsimikas invited pressure on his defense and indirectly played a part in Brentford scoring that crucial second goal. It was important from their point of view to get some breathing space before half-time.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave the Reds some hope by scoring early in the second half. However, Bryan Mbeumo's 84th-minute goal ensured the game finished 3-1 in the home side's favor.
It was a poor night for Tsimikas, who was replaced by Robertson at the half-time break despite the latter suffering an injury in the previous game.
Jamie Carragher gave damning half-time verdict after Liverpool's first half performance vs Brentford
Jamie Carragher did not mince his words at half-time after Liverpool went back to the tunnel two goals down.
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He told Sky Sports (h/t Echo):
"I wouldn’t say I was massively confident (coming into this game), because Liverpool have had problems all season against teams who are physical, when the game has intensity they can’t cope."
"This is a team, let’s not forget, that pride themselves on saying intensity is our identity.They can’t cope with that anymore at this moment. It looks like an ageing team coming to the end, and [sic.] that was absolutely shambolic that first half."
The Reds squandered the chance to overtake Tottenham Hotspur in the table after the Lilywhites' 2-0 loss against Aston Villa. Liverpool remain sixth in the table, with 28 points from 17 games - two points behind Spurs.